Friday, 28 February 2014

New Frontier by Jeremy Lee

As a new era dons for humanity with all the attendant celebrations and riots, finally breaking the bonds which left us tied to the Solar System is reported as being the moment which unites all the disparate parts of the world and brings us into an era of peace and discovery, and yet this giant leap is almost instantly marred by greed erupting into violence. The Argos, the ship sent out on this historic mission, is left adrift and crippled far from home, survivors of this mysterious attack struggle to hold their ship together and come to the rescue of homesteaders and compatriots relying on them to not only survive but retaliate, and rescue a world where the Solar System has become a rugged frontier ripe for colonization and opportunity filled with the honest and ruthless carving out lives past the veil of civilization.

Several rival corporations, monopolies delving into every industry imaginable, have all but supplanted nation-states, keeping governments around only as a necessary fiction to pacify populations, and the realm of business now reaches into politics, military, religion, and all other aspects of human life. The frontier regions of space are a place filled with new homesteaders, miners, merchants, bandits, and scientific minds that is barely able to keep from slipping into total anarchy, a frontier region where people can disappear from their lives and head off into the unknown. New Frontier is an adventure which stretches from the furthest reaches of space, to slums in backwater cities, to the lunar capitol, and ultimately onto the wreckage of the great ship. The gallant and the selfish alike are forced to face the best and worst of human civilization far from home and decide what they truly believe in.

New Frontier: An Excerpt

Space is a silent and vastly dead expanse, yet filled with marvels of life, twists of physics, furnaces of unimaginable fire, and wastelands of matter-shattering cold. There is no greater ocean for humanity to sail, no more perilous journey, and none more yearned for by generation upon generation. Tentative steps into the endless frontier inevitably are loosened into giant leaps, but adventure brings with it failures as often as glory.

Light years from Sol and the comforts of home, humanity’s greatest leap lay strewn across hundreds of miles, now little more than smoldering wreckage of dreams feebly forged into reality. The once sleek and vaguely arrowhead shaped craft so many people cheered on its way was drifting wounded and listless. The daring vessel, audacious by design, the main body accompanied by four sets of engines jutting from either side, shot through space scattering bodies and shards of metal and freezing vapor leaking from its own wounds. It was the culmination of centuries of leaps and stuttering steps forward in science and engineering. The Argos, now rent down the middle nearly in half, and the scar ran forward from the reactors at the aft reaching for the bow.

Bodies floated in space among the debris, some of them sucked out so suddenly into the void that the immortal looks on their faces weren’t even surprised. They had been asleep, or monotonously going through their shift, now they were frigid corpses floating among the charred debris. Summersaulting about its axis three quarters of the Argos continued to make an orbit around a red and purple planet, no sign left of their assailants.

From the missile tubes arrayed along the bow and reaching back down the starboard side of the ship the second, third, and fourth decks looked out, ripped open, the scar exposing the interior of the ship only stopping at the stern where the secondary airlocks and engine room resisted with doubly reinforced bulkheads. Most of what was exposed was the crew quarters and mess hall, and most of the victims of the initial onslaught had been off duty. The emergency systems to seal off hull breaches at the doorways were methodically coming on-line, but they couldn’t move nearly as fast as a vacuum.

The tear stopped just short of the science labs, now mostly stripped bare of experiments and instruments. Banging through the doors and gaping openings supplies, equipment, and people from all over the ship flew and crashed, drawn up toward the grasping expanse of space.

Hector de Anza felt himself flying through the air, as everything else not strapped to a bulkhead, ripping out of the ship. He thrashed about with his hands and feet, anything to grab hold. Even in the rush he could feel the air getting thinner and the temperature plummeting. He’d never thought of himself as a man afraid of dying, but he didn’t know if the savior would find his soul out here. Then he prayed passionately for all the poor souls he couldn’t save, even if he didn’t yet know his own fate.

Catching on a storage locker in the lab it took all the strength the man had to hold fast, his legs still streaming out behind him as space tried to lay claim to him as well as the air whipping past, even amidst insanity and desperation Hector called out to his God. He couldn’t resist and chanced a glance past his feet. What should have been a corridor lined with crew cabins was open to the endless black.

He lashed out with his free hand as another body started to flash past in a bid to save at least one more. He caught hold of the poor man by the elbow but his hand slid down his arm as he nearly ripped loose. Hector finally gripped him by the hand and fought to keep him from flying free.

Hector held on as tightly as he could, but he felt both the man’s hand in his as well as his hold on the locker slipping. With a breathless, soundless, scream he gave his all to save both their lives. He felt himself drifting off into oblivion. Hector wasn’t strong enough to battle the nothingness of space, no matter how desperately he wanted to hold to life.

No matter how vehemently he squeezed Hector felt the crewman slipping from him. One second Hector could still feel him, hand in his, and the next he was watching as the poor crewman flew into the void. Hector looked the wretched man in the eye, saw terror marking his face, the last few gasps for air which wasn’t there, and the glossy look of peaceful death which washed over him at last.

Even as he watched the crewman die the emergency bulkheads were sliding into place. What felt to him like an hour of insanity and pain in truth lasted no more than ten seconds since the air first began to vanish out the rent hull.

As soon as the new bulkheads locked down into place sealing off the laboratory from the rupture the swirling rush of air died almost at once replaced with near nothingness. The quiet hurt nearly as badly as the earlier tumult, and carried an eerie pall and omen of the tomb. Hector’s sweaty hand slipped off of the storage locker, as much from exhaustion as because it was now safe. The air was still thin, and his body floated in the absence of gravity. The temperature had plunged to well below freezing in an instant and his body could hardly take the strain.

With a howl of frustration that he couldn’t suppress Hector tried to struggle on, the sharply steep stairs that they’d taken to calling a ladder that led down to the engine room was only a few feet away and he tried to glide over to it. Stars were popping before his eyes, and he could barely move his limbs as he tried to swim and spun about.

Having made it all the way to the ladder Hector looked down the steps towards the chaos of sparks and torn equipment below and he had to close his eyes to gather the strength to go down. With a last deep breath he tried, but he passed out just thinking of all he had to do. The cold clawed at him and the weak air left his lungs begging. He drifted into the blissful abandon of unconsciousness.

My Review:

I enjoyed reading the New Frontier by Jeremy Lee. I really have to say, there is nothing like holding a softcover book in your hand. The quote taken from John F Kennedy embodies the spirit of the novel. In many ways, the turbulence of the 1960's is quite similar to the hectic nature of the new era of space travel and corporations holding power over the world.

At first, it was a little bit choppy because the timeline went back and forth. However, once you got into the groove of the writing it was quite interesting. The characters were an interesting mix of backgrounds, both political and racial ( at least cultural). This added another deep, dark dynamic to the novel. Some the characters were harder to get into into, but there is a huge character list. So, that makes it more likely there will be a character who you disagree with.

I liked the ending. I thought it tied the book together rather well.

I liked this take on science fiction as corportations are taking over the world. You can see this now since corporations are everywhere. So it is not such a far stretch to imagine such a place.

Thursday, 27 February 2014

Today we have something different for you. Instead of just revealing a cover we are asking YOU to help us choose WHICH cover to use! Mine to Spell by Janeal Falor is the second book in the Mine series. This is a YA fantasy and it is scheduled to release May 5th, 2014.

Be sure to stop by the authors website on March 6th for the final reveal of which cover was chosen!

MINE TO SPELL Description:

Cynthia has always hidden from her father’s hexes behind her older
sister. When her family gains independence unheard of for women,
she’s relieved that her days of harsh punishments are over. But as
her seventeenth birthday approaches—the typical age to be sold to a
new master—death threats endanger her sisters. She now faces two
options: run or meet society’s expectations.

For once, Cynthia isn’t going to let her older sister shield her
from the problem. She’s going to prove to herself, her sisters, and
society that her family isn’t a threat to their traditions. She
willingly chooses to be purchased by a new master. A bold step that
takes her somewhere she never thought she would go and to a man she
might possibly fall in love with. With his help, she may
just find a way to save her sisters while discovering how to
stand up for herself. If she lives long enough.

Amazon bestselling author Janeal Falor lives in Utah with her husband and three children. In her non-writing time she teaches her kids to make silly faces, cooks whatever strikes her fancy, and attempts to cultivate a garden even when half the things she plants die. When it's time for a break she can be found taking a scenic drive with her family or drinking hot chocolate.

Thursday, 20 February 2014

I'm excited to reveal the cover for Keeper by Ingrid Seymour. This YA fantasy is releasing as a serial novel with the following release dates:

vol 1 - March 05

vol 2 - April 2

vol 3 - May 7

vol 4 - June 4

and the Omnibus edition with all volumes releases in July.

This is the cover of the omnibus that contains all the stories that comes out in July.

About the Book:

Greg Papilio both wants and dreads his impending metamorphosis. He’s tired of being a runt—always picked last on the basketball court—and tired of being ugly, like a caterpillar, when he could be what girls call “drop dead gorgeous.” But as much as he looks forward to the transformation, he also fears the caste it will inevitably assign to him. He doesn’t want a common caste, or one that will obliterate his freewill and make him a slave. He wants a powerful one, a cool one.

Samantha Gibson is average. She’s short and a little full around the hips—a terribly cute look for a future chef. À-la-Rachael-Ray in her old days. She’s two years away from culinary school, from her uncaring parents, and from carving a perfectly Human future. She wants independence, a career and a quiet life of her own.

Except fate couldn’t care less about what Greg and Samantha want and gives them exactly the opposite. Greg’s metamorphosis assigns him a caste that enslaves him to Samantha, while her chance to attend Le Cordon Bleu is taken away when her parents get a divorce. And fate’s cruelty doesn’t stop there. Not content with shattering their dreams, it also makes them fall in love, just to tear them apart when Samantha morphs, losing her freewill and developing a compulsion for a guy she barely knows.

Still, these misfortunes are just the tip of the iceberg, because Greg’s fate is to protect Samantha at a time when someone wants her dead. He is her Keeper and will stop at nothing to ensure her safety, even if her secret past proves deadly, even if she belongs to someone else.

AUTHOR BIO:

Ingrid Seymour loves, loves, loves to write. She's a young and new adult author. She writes in a variety of

genres including romance, urban fantasy, paranormal and horror. She loves pizza and sushi, Sunkist and gum. She believes in vampires, witches, but not zombies (uh-uh, never!) She writes to loud music, daydreams constantly and spends too much time in twitter!! Find her there? ;) Ingrid has incredible fun doing what she does, but more than anything she enjoys hearing from her readers. It's a dream come true.

Thursday, 13 February 2014

Butterman (Time) Travel Inc is a delightful novel that opens you up to the possibilities of time travel in the future. There was a lot to like about this novel! Everything from the setting, the plot and the characters was well written and descriptive.What
I loved:

The characters: Bianca and Tristan had so much chemistry.
They worked very well togerher. Tristan was much deeper than just a
'music star'. Bianca was more than a rliable person or Butter dud as
Tristan called her.The
science- there was a lot of science involved in the making of this
time travel- Every action was accounted for!What I didn't Like: Honestly, nothing! I loved this novel! I got so into teh characters and story . I needed to know what was happening and why! Plus, the description of historical events was amazing! I was disappointed the novel ended but I am so happy there is going to be a sequel!

Now I have an author interview with PK Herezo! :)Author Interview:

1)What inspired you to write about time travel?

I grew up in the 80s when my dad watched old school Doctor Who and the Back to the Future trilogy was a smash hit of pop culture.Somewhere in Time was also a fave, and I’ve always been enchanted with the idea of time travel.

Early last year we introduced Back to the Future to my kids (6 and 8 at the time) and I found myself explaining the concept of time travel in ways I hadn’t considered before. It got my imagination stirring and I really wanted to write a time travel story, but wasn’t sure where or how to even start.

Flash forward-- to after five seasons of Doctor Who with my son later--and I was more than itching to try my hand at it. But it had to be something really different because so much had already been done before. Once the idea of a time travel agency emerged, it all fell into place uncannily and I pounded out a first draft one month later. Neat! I love BTF! I haven't watched Dr. Who yet, but it sounds really cool :)

2)What are your must haves while writing?

Water, headphones and either music or NatureSpace.Chocolate and or coffee keeps me going if necessary, but not required.

3)What story would you love to rewrite?

Of someone elses? I’d love to do a retelling of Gone With the Wind, only set in the future and really give it a bizarre spin.

4)Who is your favourite author?

I don’t really have a fave—I love so many for different reasons. I’ll have to say Jane Austen maintains my utmost respect and admiration for her cleverness since she was so young when she wrote some of the most beloved novels of all time.

5)How did you know you wanted to become an author?

I think it all started when I realized I was narrating my walks home from the bus stop. I’d say around the age of ten. That’s when it hit me and I knew I was meant to be a storyteller.

Thanks for your time!

Thanks so much for having me here today!

Disclosure: I received a copy for review as always, this didn't affect my review. Thank you PK Herezo and Candice (CBB Book Tours)